Female athlete of the season: Anna Rowthorn

Junior Anna Rowthorn has had an impeccable season as a WJ varsity field hockey midfielder. With 20 goals and 10 assists through 13 games so far, she is the top scorer in the county.

Rowthorn began playing field hockey while living in Uruguay. She started playing the sport when she was in second grade because it was mandatory at the private school she attended, for a while she only did it because she had to but eventually she started to love the sport.

“I didn’t take it seriously until fourth grade,” said Rowthorn, “but then I started to love it. Then I came here and started playing it.”

Although she began the season slowly with the scrimmages, Rowthorn has led the team to a 10-1 record and a second overall seed in the 4A west playoff.

“It’s going great for the team and [me]” said Rowthorn. “I love my team. I think this year we have the strongest team and we’re doing great things.”

Outside of school, Rowthorn has participated in a field hockey program called Futures that helped her get a slot on the Junior Olympic team.

Rowthorn also plays on WJ girls’ lacrosse.

“Field hockey is my main sport but, I love lacrosse because it’s a way to stay in shape for field hockey while still playing competitively on a fun and close team,” she said.

Rowthorn finds the most difficult field hockey experiences to be the tournaments, but she simultaneously loves them because they craft her in becoming a better player.

“It’s hard going into tournaments because you are put with people that you have never played [with] before and do not know how they play,” said Rowthorn. “But, at the same time, it’s awesome, because you get to see different ways of playing field hockey and learn different skills.”

Rowthorn notes that her strengths are being an offensive player with a vision for the goal.

“When I am with our offensive, I like it because it is an opportunity to make plays and score,” she said.

Rowthorn believes she has improved greatly as an athlete since last year she states that she has improved better as a player and is looking forward to playoffs and has been working hard alongside her teammates. She hopes to get out a sense of accomplishment out of playoffs.

“I want to be on my game, playing my best and playing 110 percent throughout the game,” said Rowthorn. “I want to be able to walk off the field knowing I did everything I could to be there for my team and feeling proud of myself and my team.”

Male athlete of the season: Charlie Berry

After three years on varsity football, captain Charlie Barry believes a bit more depth and confidence will turn the WJ football program into a force to be reckoned with.

Barry got his first taste of competitive football early, playing for Maplewood as a fourth grader, but only really fell in love with the sport during his freshman year at WJ.

Since being called up to varsity his sophomore year, Barry has dominated for the Wildcats, earning a spot on last year’s All-Gazette team as an honorable mention.

This year, at 6’3 and 230 pounds, he’s played both defensive end and tight end on offense.

However, Barry’s favorite part of being on the team has been getting to know so many people.

“No matter what happens now, I’m closer to my teammates than I am to almost anyone else,” he said.

As a captain, Barry knows that he has to be confident in what he does.

“Attitude reflects leadership,” he said.

His confidence and his style of leading by example show in his performance: he hauled in a total of 22 receptions for 354 yards and nine touchdowns so far this season. Those numbers make him the Wildcats’ leading receiver and leading scorer.

Those who have watched Barry on the field know that behind those numbers are memorable moments and great individual efforts. At the top of his personal list of favorite moments was this year’s 13-12 overtime win against Clarksburg.

“As a team, we were just hanging in there,” he said. “Together we finished the game in overtime to win.”

For Barry, effort is the most important ingredient to winning football.

“People aren’t always perfect, and sometimes teams can get caught in quicksand,” he said.

Effort is also what defines him personally. He spends his summers playing at college camps, which expose him to talented players accustomed to always giving 100 percent. If he has a weakness, he says it is that he finds himself “wanting to do too much”.

Barry has yet to commit, but is leaning toward accepting an offer to play for Cornell University next year, while majoring in mechanical engineering.

During Barry’s time on varsity over the past three years, the team has left winless seasons behind and has proven it can dominate football games. His experience during this time has convinced him it won’t take much for WJ to reach another level — that of a force to be reckoned with.